Soho theatre, London Lauren Lyle and Alexander Arnold make a compelling pair in a surprising drama about a one night standIt is set on a summer morning in Edinburgh during the festival but David Ireland’s two-hander, first staged as a reading at the fr…
Continue ReadingSurprise is a key ingredient of standup but Jack Rooke and Joseph Morpurgo explore the potential of dusting down their hit 2015 shows for rare revivalsBands tour classic albums in their entirety. Movies are re-released to mark big anniversaries. Great …
Continue ReadingApollo theatre, LondonMischief Theatre return to the am-dram battlefield, turning the Victorian tale into a blizzard of bruised egos and expertly timed farceIn the interval, I hear a newcomer to Mischief Theatre’s enduring “goes wrong” concept ask if t…
Continue ReadingNorwich Theatre RoyalThere are eye-popping designs, playful puns and musical flourishes as Joe Tracini’s story unfolds on its own madcap shorelineHere is a sun-kissed panto to dispel any dreams of a white Christmas. Joe Tracini’s script is set in the s…
Continue ReadingPark theatre, LondonGleefully leaning into all the cliches and groansome laughs, Dan Patterson and Jez Bond’s musical vampire romp is supremely sillyIf ever there was a show where the title came first, you’d guess it was this one by Dan (Whose Line Is …
Continue ReadingYork Theatre RoyalPaul Hendy’s panto includes some silly surprises, well-handled audience interaction and a twinkling dameAnyone remember the bit in Sleeping Beauty with the velociraptor named Kevin? Me neither. But an incongruous dinosaur sidekick is …
Continue ReadingMachines can be funny when they mistakenly bump into things – but standup is a tough gig even for humansRobots can make humans laugh – mostly when they fall over – but a new research project is looking at whether robots using AI could ever be genuinely…
Continue ReadingThe Stand, GlasgowThe one time Dancing On Ice contestant is hard not to like but his judgment of audience as ‘tepid’ is wide of the mark – they did well to get through such slim pickings‘Just jokes and you don’t have to think.” That’s Josh Jones’s offe…
Continue ReadingArcola theatre, LondonThis riff on Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective stories has flashes of promise but its comedy and purpose never landShouldn’t that be Flat 2b? Then again, there are bigger problems in this gender-switched reworking of Arthur Conan Doy…
Continue ReadingLyric Hammersmith, London A sinister giant computer and a meat-eating headmaster have a sinister plan for shy Jack and his schoolfriends. Meanwhile, the Fairy Godfather has the hots for the dame This is not your bog-standard Jack and the Beanstalk. In …
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